Bottle carrier



Jan. 15, 1940. z, GRAY 2,187,494

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Sept. 9, 19:57

INVENTOR HARRY Z. GRAY TTORNEY Patented Jon. is, 1940 2,187,494

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOTTLE CARRIER Barry Z. Gray, Lebanon, Ohio Application September 9, 1937, Serial No. 163,019

3 Claims; (CL 224-45) This invention relates to bottle carriers, and of each blank are designated l6 and ll of which more especially it relates to bottle carriers that the flaps I6 are apart of the outermost ply of support bottles solely by engagement with the each blank, and are uppermost when the car-- necks thereof. rier is in use as shown.

The chief objects of the invention are to pro- Each of the flaps I1 is formed with one or 5 vide extreme simplicity'of construction; to efmore circular apertures IQ, herein shown as feet economy of material; to provide a carrier three in number, there being an even half dozen that easily and quickly may be attached to the in the two flaps and the apertures in one flap bottles, and as readily be disengaged therefrom; being in alignment with the apertures in the 10 to provide a carrier that cannot accidentally other flap transversely of the carrier. Each ap- 10 become disengaged from the bottles; and to e tu e 9 is of the P p d e to p m provide a carrier of the character mentioned the Cap 0 a d en a a 2| at the D of a that may be re-used a number of times. In bottle 22 to pass easily but not loosely theregeneral the invention aims to provide an atthrough, the aperture being S e larger trfictive and eflicient bottle carrier that is inexthan the neck of the bottle. Preferably the mar- 15 pensive, and that occupies relatively small space S s of the apertures are einforced 0r Stiffyvhen not in use. Other objects will be manifined, as by the cardboard rings 23 adhered "f st as th specification d there-about, although any other suitable rein- 01 the accompanying drawing: I f r in m ns m y be used.

Fig. l is a side elevation of the improved bot- Each of the flap is ed with one or tie carrier, and a plurality of bottles operatively ore apertures 25 Corresponding in umber to associated therewith; the apertures IS. The apertures 25 are-in the Fig. 2 i an nd l ation thereof; form of slots that have rounded ends of the same Fig. 3 is a section, on a larger scale, on the radius as the apertures IS, the width of the 2 line 3-4 of Figure 1; and slots being the same as the diameter of said ap- 25 Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the bottle ertures. The long axis of each of the slots 25 carrier showing how a pair of openings therein is disposed transversely of the flap [6, and inare positioned in offset relation to each other to tersects the axis of an underlying aperture l9.

cause the carrier to grip a bottle neck. The slots 25 may be reinforced with cardboard Referring to the drawing, it will be seen that 26 in the same manner as the apertures I9. 30 the improved carrier is composed of two iden- When a flap l6 and its companion flap ll tical blanks Ill, 10, which blanks are composed are in juxtaposition as shown, the apertures is of heavy cardboard or other stiff, foldable maand the slots 25 are in offset relation to each terial. Each of said blanks is folded or doubled other in the direction of the long axis of the upon itself. longitudinally near. its middle, as slots, the imperforate portion of the flaps H5, at 35 indicated at H, II. The folded blanks, disposed the inner ends of slots 25, overlying a small porin face to face relation, are permanently setion of each aperture l9 so that the through cured to each other by a plurality of rivets l2, openings defined by the apertures and slots are I I2 that extend through the four plies of cardof oblate form in the direction of the long axis board about midway between the folded marof the slots, as is clearly shown in Fig. 4 of the 40 gins ll of the blanks and the free margins at drawing. Furthermore, the extent to which the the side opposite said folded margins. Between flaps Ii overlie the apertures l9 varies according the rivets l2 and the folded margins ii the to the angle at which the flaps I6. I 1 stand with structure is formed with an elongate aperture relation to the hand-gripportion of the carrier. I3 of suflicient size to receive four fingers of the andcome closer to alignment as the flaps swing hand, the four-ply portion thus constituting a downwardly this being due to the fact that flaps hand-grip for the carrier. ll extend around a longer are at the hinge 15. Both plies or leaves of each folded blank In In the operation of applying the carrier to a are longitudinally creased or scored along the group f hilt-310$, tllfil D1 ps 5 ar ent 5 line I5, which is located immediately below the upwardly and backwardly against the hand-grip rivets II. to the end that the free, lower parts portion and held there. The lower flaps ll are of theplies may be flexed along these lines. As then slipped over the bottles 22 as far as the shown in the drawing, the plies of one blank necks thereof, the caps 20 and beads 2i of the are flexed in opposite direction to the plies of bottles passing readily through apertures 19. the other blank, and constitute flaps. The flaps The flaps it are then released and bent down 55 over the bottles until they rest against flaps l1, the upper ends of the bottles passing readily through the slots 25. Now when the carrier is lifted, slight relative movement between the flaps l6, l1 causes the neck of each bottle to be engaged on one side by the marginal wall of an aperture I9 and on the diametrically opposite side by the marginal wall at the inner end of a slot 25. The arrangement is most clearly illustrated in Fig. 4 wherein the perimeter of a bottle neck is indicated by a dot and dash line. The weight of the bottles assures that the necks thereof will be tightly gripped. and the enlarged bead 2| on the bottles avoids any possibility of accidental release of the latter.

Although the blanks l0 are duplicates of each other and each alone would function in the manner described, it is preferable to use two of the blanks assembled back-to-back as shown for the reason that the bottles 22 will then abut each other and be suspended in vertical position. If but one blank were used the bottle or bottles therein would hang at an angle to the handgrip portion of the carrier and would be somewhat awkward to handle. Preferably the spacing of the apertures l9 and slots 25 longitudinally of the carrier is such that the bottles carried therein'abut each other. The arrangement avoids rattling of the bottles against each other and reduces the possibility of breakage from this cause.

The improved carrier may be used many times since it does not require to be mutilated to remove the bottles therefrom. When not in use the flaps I0, I! will lie in the same plane as the hand-grip portion of the carrier, thus conserving space during storage or shipment. The device is simple and economical, and achieves the other advantages set out in the foregoing statement of objects.

Modification may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, or the scope thereof as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

i. In a bottle carrier for bottles having beaded cap-receiving upper ends, a hand grip portion and a pair of flaps hinged to said hand grip portion independently of each other along the same margin thereof, each of said flaps being formed with an aperture of larger size than the beadend of a bottle so as to enable the said bead to pass therethrough, said apertures being so arranged as to be overlapping when the flaps are side-by-side and thereby together to define a through opening in the flaps of smaller size than the bead portion of a bottle but larger than the adjacent neck of the bottle, the flaps being separately angularly movable upon their hinges to enable separation of the flaps whereby the bead portion of a bottle may be passed through the respective apertures in succession. I

2. In a bottle carrier for bottles having beaded cap-receiving upper ends, a hand grip portion and two pairs of flaps of which each flap is independently hinged to said hand grip portion along the same margin thereof, each pair of flaps being capable of limited common angular movement relatively of the hand grid portion and the flaps of each pair having limited angular movement relatively of each other, the flaps of the respective pairs of flaps being inclined in the same general direction, the pairs of flaps being in diverging relation to each other, the flaps of each pair having openings therein of larger size than the head end of a bottle and,

.when in juxtaposition, defining a bottle-neckreceiving opening of smaller size than the beadend of a bottle, whereby a bottle may be sus pended therein, the opening in one pair of flaps being in alignment with the opening in the other pair of flaps, transversely of the carrier, so that bottles suspended from the two pairs of flaps laterally abut each other and thereby are maintained in vertical position.

3. A bottle carrier formed of relatively stiff material comprising a hand grip portion arranged to extend in a generally vertical direction when in use, carrying flaps hinged to the lower margin of the hand grip portion independently of each other along parallel hinge lines and arranged to extend in a generally lateral direction from the hand grip portion, said flaps being adapted to assume a position in relatively close superposed relation and to be capable of limited common angular movement relatively of the hand grip portion when so positioned, and also capable of limited angular movement relatively of each other, each flap being formed with an aperture of sufficient size to freely admit the neck of a bottle, the aperture in the overlying flap being offset outwardly with respect to the aperture of the underlying flap so that the edge of the aperture of the overlying flap adjacent its hinge is adapted to engage against one side of the bottle neck and the edge of the aperture of the underlying flap remote from its hinge is adapted to engage the opposite side of the bottle neck, whereby, when the bottle neck has been inserted through both apertures and the flaps brought into relatively close, superposed rela tion, the neck of the bottle will be snugly engaged by the edges of said openings.

HARRY Z. GRAY. 

